₦airaland Forum

Awoniyi's job seems to be "drag the defenders"

Ndidi has been doing a fantastic job in that middle

Nachoooo!!!!

komekn:
It seems you are misinformed, Nwakali not only trained with the youth team but also the first team.

This is something that happens regularly in Arsenal youth players train with the first team to see if they can CUT IT. I have even seen a trialist from non league gone straight into the first team training session.

He failed to cut it in the youth team and did not make much of an impression at youth level too.

I get that he may have trained with the team, but that doesn't mean he got the chance to fight for a place. They are two different things. He could not have done that because he had no work permit. He was basically a visitor in London.

In comparison, we heard reports that Ebere Eze trained with one of the Nigerian youth teams once, but we all know he did not get a chance to compete and be part of the team. You yourself say as much a lot.

I'm not saying he would have been a world beater had he gotten the chance, after all, he's not done much with his career so far (I don't dispute this, and I also think truthfully, he doesn't deserve to be on the SE team to the Afcon), but let's be fair here. Using the fact that he didn't get a chance at arsenal to say he never got to play when we know he didn't have a work permit, isn't a fair point.

Anyway, what I want to bring out is that he can still make a lot out of his career. Osimhen did, Awoniyi did (a similar case and he eventually got his permit before being sold), so I believe he also can. After all, he had some interest from EPL clubs during the summer.

andrewbaba44:
You think nwakali would have played for arsenal if he had he work permit ?

At least he would have had the chance to compete in the academy like Iheanacho did in man city. The point is he didn't get that chance and so had to be jumping from team to team in the low leagues in Europe. European kids would not have that experience. Someone should not now claim that Arsenal signed him but he never played for them because he was bad.(modified)

komekn:
Jamie Vardy started playing non league football at age 17/18 he did not have any pedigree or national youth call up, to anchor his career upon .

He fought his way playing kick and rush until he was recognised. In 2010 he was playing non league scored 25 goals and Leicester paid £1million for a non league player a club and non league record fee at the time in 2012.

Leicester where in the Championship then and in 2014 his goals got them into the EPL. He has been at Leicester for over 10 years and has been there number one goal scorer since.

Can his meteoric rise in any way have any kind of comparison with your Nwakali. One achieved against all odds and the other failed with all the help given to him including UNJUSTIFIABLE call up to the national team.

TheGoodJoe your are making yourself look like you are lacking understanding with this emotive quest and hype around Nwakali.

I'm surprised you're saying this about Vardy, but we have the benefit of hindsight now so it's easy to explain his rise and success. How come you keep asking why Sadiq is still in Segunda if he is that good even though we see his stats season after season? Isn't it very likely that a team in a top league will snap him up? Doesn't he have a chance to rise just like Vardy did? Like Thegoodjoe said, you seem to just write off people when they're going through a bad patch. Except there's something I'm not getting.

drDoom3:
More like Arsenal didn't value him enough to use the special talent clause. Awoniyi also had the same problem.

If they performed well enough in the clubs they were loaned to, they would have gotten either work permits or permanent deals. Awoniyi's work permit came after a stellar season with Union Berlin, but he chose to stay with them permanently.

Didn't Everton apply for work permit for onyekuru under the special talent clause? How come he never got it? Anyway,the point is that the reason Nwakali did not play for Arsenal is that he had no work permit, not because he was so horrible in training that he could not be played (which anyone who's unaware of the work permit issue will assume from that statement).

TheGoodJoe:
With all your experience in English football, I am surprised you do not know about a work permit. Kelechi Nwakali suffered in his early career due to work permit issues.

You and I know that he knows. It was a deliberate omission to deceive whoever is unaware.

PurpleHouse:

Dem don use software carry this one handicap

CODMOK:
If it was a gentleman agreement between the two, why did the NFF say the club was "baring fangs". Abi na me no understand English ni?

I don't know, but these things do not happen at once. They can happen over a period. We don't know how it started or how it ended. My point is we should not just blacklist a player because CAF, FIFA, European clubs and our NFF president are all fighting for each of their own benefit and the player is caught in the middle.

andrewbaba44:
We are waiting to see if Dennis will not be called for naija anymore or not

I'm sure he will. Last last, even if it was him who declined, if he wants to come back, just a little "dobale" will do as long as his form is maintained.

I'm surprised at the way a lot of people are reacting to this Dennis issue. If you think about it logically, Ranieri may be right actually. Watford and the NFF (or at least Pinnick) have a good relationship. They have at least 5 Nigerian players in their squad. They even signed Okoye out of nowhere, before the transfer window when no one even thought of or expected it. We don't really know the details of their discussion. Perhaps NFF let it go in good faith.

Besides, Watford are desperate. They're battling relegation and they need their talisman. They don't have players that can step up and they need Dennis more than we do anyway. Let's cut him some slack. He was clearly excited to be part of the Afcon team. The whole thing might just be out of his hands.

12large1:
Ndidi has to elevate his game because the time of just winning balls and passing it era has gone. He needs to either learn how to shoot from far, passing or initiate attack if he intends on being the best DM

In general, yes I agree with you. But with regards to yesterday's game, he was the best player on the pitch in my opinion. He did the above and brought the rest of the players into the game. I guess he needs to do more of that consistently.

TheSuperNerd:
Like Edi287 rightly pointed out. Iwobi in a pivot? Naah, don't expect much.

Even if he isn't sitting alongside Ndidi in Central midfield but playing Box-to-Box... I don't think so.
But I know he has played CM before while at Arsenal but it was perhaps just once or twice. Not really sure of how many times.

But shaaa, I understand your point of "experimentation".


Lol @Made peace.... Hahahahahaa... My brother there is nothing we can do about it. He is the team Captain and will always be treated as a Sacred Cow like all other Super Eagles Skippers were treated.

And yes, Onuachu alongside a strike partner will work, I believe. He could play the target man knocking it down for his more withdrawn partner or he pounces on the space created by his more mobile partner.
But if the likes of Moses Simon/Marcus and Iwobi (if they play) are instructed send crosses to Onuachu from both wings and always look for him with passes into the box (either to feet or to head) where he is most dangerous, then Onuachu as a lone target man striker will still eat really good in the GWG. (Note: This applies only for this double legged friendly).


As for Moffi. Yes, lad is built like a Weapon head. A battering ram (quoting Scorenigeria). He could be our Amokachi-kinda striker. A real young bull who can play the #9 role on his own. But Moffi is more of a "streak-striker". When he is in form, he is unstoppable, but when on a drought it takes some time to find his range. But it's like this for now because he is still young and growing. In all, Lad is destined for the top. Glad he is gonna make his debut today.
Could easily have succeeded Osimhen as Ligue 1's Best African Player had he been capped before the 20/21 season was over.

@bold I saw the article and I was confused. I kept seeing "battling ram" repeated like 20 times in one short article. Maybe the writer just heard the term and was so excited and eager to use it

12large1:
The greatest DELUSION IS Nigerians thinking that sacking gattuso will be good for osimehn. Don't be surprised if gattuso leaves and osimehn becomes a bench player at Napoli. Osimehn is a Gattuso signing (if you know what I mean)

He was more of Di Laurentiis' signing than Gattuso's. Either way, it's official. Gattuso has been sacked.

TheSuperNerd:
Brilliant! Just Brilliant! Chaaaiiii... Ezigbo Mmadu!

Wish I could like and share a billion times. I know your Moniker but you hardly comment. The "Super" in your name makes me smile so much more.

Honestly my good man, Well said. Wish I could bless your account right now. No caps. Beautiful!

Lool...make I send my aza?

12large1:
If he is Better than Kante like some delusional Of grandeur said he is here, then surely, he has to be getting offers at the biggest club in the world. Some delusional guy here claimed that Ndidi is better than Kante and has been the best DM in Epl for the past 2 seasons. Yet, you don't believe that a bigger club has shown interest? Common brother

My guy, you need to calm down and always put proper context to what people are saying. Not everything is black and white. Let me explain:

The way I see it, you and thesupernerd are saying the same thing ultimately concerning Osimhen. The difference is that you seem to insinuate his injuries and illnesses are his fault, otherwise, why should he not have scored a lot more despite the high expectations. I do understand that with great power (huge transfer fee) comes great responsibility, but to be fair, he has been hindered this season. From his displays, it is obvious he will score a lot more goals next season, hopefully he stays injury free. Most of the things you say he doesn't have are the things he showed last season in Lille, which was why he cost that much and Napoli paid for him. It wasn't just the goals.

With regards to his other contributions, yes scoring goals is his primary purpose. But other attributes are equally important like how well he plays, bringing his teammates into the game and creating chances for himself and others out of nothing. Otherwise, they'll just be another Crotone with a top scorer but zero end result fighting for relevance. It's not always about a player but also the team. There is a reason Firminho plays most of Liverpool's matches even though he doesn't score many goals. He is their number 9, but he assists more than he scores. There is more he brings to the team than just scoring goals.

With regards to Ndidi, I hope you know he's studying at Leicester while playing professional football...as in he's in the university. He has said he wants to get his degree before ending his career. I reckon he's close to done with his studies and offers will definitely come. It's not like you are in Leicester's inner circle to know he has been rejecting offers due to small ambition. Not everything has to go the way you want it. You can't deny how good a player is because he is not playing for Madrid or United. We all know how Suarez was killing it at Ajax and did even better when he moved to Liverpool. He always had it. He did not suddenly become good because he was now in Liverpool. Same with Ibrahimovic, Kante, Bruno, etc. Vardy has been with Leicester for how many years now, churning out goals each season. That he has not left for a bigger club will not diminish his status as a top level striker. Harry Kane is another example. There was also Totti who spent his whole career in Roma despite the likes of Madrid always coming for him. It was his choice. That did not diminish his status. Infact, he is one of the legendary playmakers in Serie A and in football generally. My point is, when the time comes, Ndidi will get his big move and he will be even better.

At the end of the day, football in this day and age is not black and white. There are many factors, considerations and stats to decisions being made. Sometimes, the devil is in the details.

phr0nesis:
Poor acting, terrible screenplay, dialogue was cliche. Those things you mentioned above is the only reasons it's getting an average rating from me. And you should know movies are all about storytelling irrespective of it's genre

My biggest issue was the acting. It was awful at some point. Otherwise, it was ok. There wasn't time to flesh out the story proper, but it is obvious this one was to sort of lay a foundation for the next one. That in itself was risky.

andrewbaba44:
Twitter has been insulting him before the brace self

Saying he is a fraud and use his form to win a contract but they kept shut when he scored a brace ,they didn’t insult the Leicester squad for having a bad game but iheanacho was insulted

I am so glad he ended the game with a brace

Didn't even see the Twitter comments. I'm glad he scored even as the team lost. At least he won't be an easy target as is usually the case with our players.

I remember when it was fashionable to berate Iheanacho and predict his doom when any new player features for Leicester. Slimani, Okazaki, even Demaray Gray were supposed to send him packing from Leicester. Someone was saying even championship teams would not want him because he's a failure when he wasn't getting game time but was making excuses for an English born player who was in the same predicament.

The guy is now in better form than almighty Vardy at the moment. Omo, Never write anyone off o.

There's also something Grace said in her review: “...that thing you want to happen? It happens”. I dont know if she's talking about the shazam family or a superman cameo. I guess we'll find out in 2 weeks.

TheKingIsHere:
DC really believes in this film. For grace who typically is bias towards DC films to say such good remarks makes me wanna watch it now.


But I will leave my total WW estimate for the film at $600m-700m. It can go higher but I just want to keep it moderate

On the contrary, Grace is a DC fan. I've never seen her reviews as biased against dc. If anything, she always points out the critics' bias against dceu movies even as she points out the problems dc movies have.

That being said, I saw her review and I was just smiling like a fish. She starts with “you have no idea how good shazam is”. Apparently the trailers are very deceptive the movie is darker than the trailers would make you believe. I had to go watch John Campea's review just for balance and he basically gave the same verdict. I'm so hyped for this movie.

Minemrys:
And here s0me folks on this thread were, WB should've cast John Cena for the role. He has the l0oks and would match dwayne johns0n. I was like "you can't be serious". S0me folks here were against zachary levi's casting.

I remember this argument like it was yesterday. I'm glad they made the right choice. Zachary Levi was obviously the right choice immediately he was announced.

Raalsalghul:
Cc: Tonyspike Minemrys Philfearon Thekingishere
I think I've had enough of this snyder fanboyism from minemrys and spike. It's so bad that whenever a film doesn't have snyder's name on it, then it's bad. In as much as I appreciate him for starting the universe with MoS which I think is good BTW, he messed up with BvS and at a point you have to realize that his style of filming isn't going to suit some comic characters.

It's getting tiring really. They need to move on. Imagine hoping that the DCEU fails just to punish WB for moving on from Snyder and his style. Seems more like whining children.

komekn:
Sometimes players consider the word integrity.

That means they will look how we have treated players in the past that have come from England and the amount of opportunity and longevity they were given.

The way Sone Aluko and Hope Akpan were treated comes to mind, but more so Aluko.

Talk is cheap actions past and present speak a lot louder than empty words, particularly where the NFF is concerned.

So now he is rejecting us because Nigeria lacks integrity. How convenient. Abeg just accept he doesn't consider Nigeria as a top choice and move on. Stop trying to make excuses for him rejecting us.

You've been shouting Josh Maja since. If the boy rejects Nigeria now, you'll say it is because NFF lacks integrity.

MJBOLT:

who's the character?

Shang Chi

It was an own goal apparently. All join

Goal! KALU!

junnyjake:
@ the bolded, you keep making that statement so long and it's beginning to sound like it's truth.

He spent half a season at Malaga last year, so, you can't say he has spent up to 3 seasons in England already.

How many games has he played for Watford thus far?

With the injury problems he has got, he's just gotten over them and trying to put his foot on the ground; He's starting very well already, but you? You are in very much of a haste to throw the waste-man tag around.

Well, continue, I can only pray he does enough to prove you wrong.

I've been wanting to comment about this. I guess you've put it to rest. No further comment.

BascoVanVeli:
Right about what exactly? What league did Ndidi, Moses, Henry and Kalu play in? Didn't Holland cap Danjuma as he was in Belgium? If nothing else Belgium is known for having good young player so how is he right to say nobody will take notice of a 19 year old smashing the league

The guy is on the right path, but the league has just started. He'll be well accorded the accolades he deserves, especially if he continues at this pace. He's doing well now, agreed. But it will take some more to claim he is “smashing” the league.

BascoVanVeli:
Keep trying to cover up for yourself. If it was a guy playing against fire men in league 2 you won't let us rest.

But he is not wrong despite the bold

komekn:
Never noticed you before.

But from nowhere you seem to have a lot of presumptuous deductions which imply you have already taken sides.

Either that or you jumped without looking.

Yea, I don't post much, mainly because i don't like to be drawn in long debates. But I've been on here for a long time.

I don't have to take any side to point out an observation (that your comment which i quoted was...somehow). You have not seen enough of my posts to decide which side I'm on. Why does there even have to be sides?

Anyway, like I said, my comment goes both ways. I hope you don't tag me based on this sha. That would be emotive, don't you think?

Nothing personal man.